Kozhikode (Kerala) | Kerala PWD Minister P A Mohamed Riyas on Wednesday said that the UDF was blaming the state government regarding a former ABVP leader's death threats to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the opposition has nothing else to say about the ruling dispensation.
The minister was referring to the protest in the state assembly a day ago by the opposition over the Speaker's refusal to allow a discussion on the alleged death threat remark made by a BJP leader against Gandhi.
The protest came after police registered a case against BJP leader Printu Mahadevan on Monday for remarks he allegedly made during a television debate on September 26.
Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission to KPCC chief Sunny Joseph to raise the issue as an adjournment motion, saying it "had no immediate relevance or significance".
Following this, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan had questioned the Speaker's decision, asking how such remarks during a televised debate could be deemed irrelevant.
"We strongly protest against the Speaker's remarks that the matter is not serious," he had said.
As the UDF protest intensified, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
On Wednesday, Riyas said that the House has been taking up for discussion every notice for adjournment motion moved by the opposition.
On Tuesday, they wanted to discuss the death threat made against Rahul Gandhi on a news channel's panel discussion by one of the panelists. All of us condemn it as not just Rahul Gandhi, no one else should be threatened like this over their political work, he said.
"RSS is the one which has carried out the most political killings in the state and the majority of the victims have been our comrades," he claimed.
He further said that when CPI(M) is in power in Kerala, the minorities and secular people are safe and that people are aware about this."To destroy this sense of safety in the people, the UDF is making such accusations," he alleged.
After the House was adjourned, the UDF MLAs had told reporters outside the assembly that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should clarify whether the remark that Rahul Gandhi "would be shot in the chest was a trivial matter."
They had also alleged that the government was "shielding" the BJP leader out of fear of the party and termed it "the latest proof of the unholy alliance between the BJP and CPI(M) in Kerala".
Subsequently, the state BJP leadership had accused the Congress-UDF of "launching unnecessary propaganda" against the party over the issue.
Accusing the Congress of "distorting" Mahadev's statement, BJP leader Anoop Antony had also criticised the police, saying the searches carried out in the houses of BJP leaders in connection with the case would face strong resistance.
Mahadevan, reportedly a former ABVP leader, allegedly made the remarks during a television debate on protests in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Later that same day, he, along with some party workers, appeared before police and his arrest was formally recorded. He was, thereafter, produced before a court which granted him bail.